Forgive & Forget
by SheWhomLaughsLast
Summary: Follow up to Rumour Has It. Written after watching the "I kissed a girl" preview. After Finn outs Santana, things happen that expose who she really is to the rest of the Glee clubbers. But, will this exposure bring them closer? Or will Santana push away?


**Alright, just so I don't get people jumping on this and trying to tear me a new one, a little bit of a disclaimer. **

**As to the whole Finn Vs. Santana issue, which this touches on, it's over alright? Bullying is NEVER okay and neither is outing. No one was right in that confrontation and besides, if Santana and Finn can hug it out like they do, why can't everyone else?**

**Basically, keep the anger out of here, people, this is a no conflict zone.**

"Santana!" Beluga called after Britt and me as we walked down the hall. I felt everyone's eyes on me at all times now a days. And it wasn't just some closeted gay paranoia. This was the legit kind of staring where you turn around and the person goggling at you looks away real fast like you won't notice they're being total creepers.

_God, _I hate people.

Especially obnoxiously loud, jiggly people who chase you down hallways.

"Santana, wait up!" Hudson panted, still waddling on after us. The blonde sighed.

"Maybe you should give him a chance…" I laughed once.

"Uh, no, I shouldn't."

"Santana—"

"He opened his fat ass mouth and blabbed the one thing that should've been off limits no matter _how _big of a bitch I am and now, now I'm going to be Lima's Lesbian Leper for the rest of my natural born life once that campaign video gets released" she looked away from me and at a guy who shot us a weird look as he passed, the girl walking with him jabbed him in the ribs then shot us a dirty look herself. Did I mention I hate people? "So, I want Finn Hudson to stew in a vat of his own guilt until he pickles. At which point I will proceed to feed him to his great, white brethren." No, the campaign video hadn't aired yet. So my life wasn't a total disaster. Well, it was, but at least the rest of the state didn't know that yet.

Which definitely meant my parents didn't know.

That would be a conversation that I'd rather relive rolling around with Blubbers McCheesecake than have _ever. _

Don't get me wrong, my parents weren't bad people. Just very…traditional…very religious people. Very 'oh Santana, I can't wait to see what kind of babies you have when you get married to a successful man in the future' kind of people. So, it goes without saying that they probably wouldn't take the news about me never getting hitched to a human with baby-making parts that didn't match my own very easily. The female part would freak them out the most; of course, the no babies popping out of me bit would just be the icing on the hell cake.

They were going to crap themselves.

Did I mention I hate obnoxiously loud, jiggly people who chase you down hallways?

"Well, how do you know what he's going to say?"

"It doesn't matter what he has to say, Britt, that's the point." She looked down at the books in her arms.

"I'm not saying that what he did was right—"

"Which it wasn't."

"But you have to give him a chance to make it better. You were taking it a bit far too." I 'pffted' and Brittany smiled beside me, that cute, slight curve of her lips that made me melt like butter in a hot pan. "I'll take you to Breastix." She said, stopping me in my tracks.

Whoa, hold on. Did she just say 'Breadstix'?

A knowing smirk passed across her lips.

"I'm buying."

Son of a bitch.

Well played, my wonderful unicorn, well played.

I turned back to the sweaty potato sack as he slowed to a stop four feet in front of us, Brittany turning at the same time I did.

"Alright, Cheese Puff." I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "You have five seconds before I continue to pretend you don't exist and were only part of some horrible, douchetastic nightmare."

"Come to the choir room afterschool, we'll talk then" I opened my mouth to tell him he could take his leader complex and shove it when Brittany cleared her throat, mouthing the word 'Breadstix'. So, instead, I looked back at frankenteen and made it obvious I was putting on an act.

"Fine." I slapped on the most exaggerated smile I could twist my lips into. "I'll see you after school." He smiled at me, a goofy, dorky looking smile before he turned around and strode down the hall back to wherever he'd come from.

When Britt and I turned around, I mocked vomiting and she giggled before recomposing herself into Lecture Brittany.

"You know he's trying."

"Yeah well, he can try all he likes, I'm not forgiving him until—" I was cut off as that Hockey Dick, Rick, slapped his hand down on my binder and text book in my arms, knocking them from my hands and sending them to the floor with a loud thwack. I stopped walking just in time to avoid catching a book to the shin and turned around as he high fived his mullet wearing idiot of a friend. "Um, excuse me Neanderthal!" I yelled after him, making him turn with a smirk on his face "Are you looking to win a Darwin award? 'Cause you're _real _close to being eliminated from the gene pool!"

"I'm sorry, guess I didn't see the 'Dyke Crossing' sign." Brittany's eyes were on me instantly, a look of total concern on her face. Before, I would've brushed that comment off and crushed his jewels with my sneaker, before I would've told him where to shove his lame ass comment. But, for whatever reason, this time I didn't. I didn't want to even think about it.

This time I simply turned around and bent down, picking my books from the floor, bowed my head and continued in silence to my next class, trying to ignore the bruise beginning to form on my heart.

+/+\+

_Finn_

I waited in the choir room with the New Directions and Troubletones for well over an hour after school ended, everyone was getting antsy. I wanted to apologise to her. I mean, though what Santana had been doing to me was completely uncool and stuff, I didn't mean to hurt her as bad as I did. I just got all caught up in the moment, with her constantly ripping into me, and I lost it. I just wanted to do something to make her stop going after me as violently and relentlessly as she'd been.

I said what I said. And, though I do feel terrible about it, especially after the long sit down Kurt nailed me with, it had prevailed in making her leave me alone for the most part, or at least she didn't go looking for me anymore. He'd agreed that Santana's bullying wasn't okay, but there were other solutions that could've been explored instead of going for the out. Literally.

I just wanted there to be peace between us, no more fighting, no more insults.

"Hate to break it to you, dude," Puck said, leaning back in his chair "I don't think she's coming."

"She told me she'd be here."

"And how likely is Santana to follow up with a promise she made to _you?"_I narrowed my eyes for a few seconds and then shook my head, looking over at the blonde beside the door. Brittany was playing with her cell, leaning against the wall.

"If Brittany's here, Santana will come. Right Britt?" She looked up, a surprised twist to her features

"Huh?"

"Santana's coming, right?" She looked at me then back to her phone, a look of concern crossing her features

"I don't know." My brows furrowednin both confusion and at pucks massive "HA!". Normally it was like they shared a brain or something. Or, really I guess they were just kind of in tune with each other…Like Brittany was everything Santana wasn't and Santana was everything Brittany wasn't. Santana was incredibly smart and Brittany…not so much. But _Brittany _was incredibly nice and Santana…well, not so much.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Quinn asked and Brittany shrugged "wait, why didn't she come with you, I thought you two had the same last block class?"

"Yeah and when we were walking to class Coach Sylvester wanted to see her in her office."

"About what?" The blonde shrugged

"I don't know. She's not answering her phone either."

"I told you dude," Puck said again "ditched."

"She would've said something to Brittany at least." I reasoned and he rolled his eyes. "She might hate me at the moment, but she wouldn't ditch Britt."

"How do you know?"

"'Cause Santana and I are kind of dating." Britt murmured, eyes narrowing at the screen of her phone. She didn't seem to notice everyone staring at her, that or she didn't care. "Also this really rude guy, the hockey guy from the presidential election, he was being a really big bully to her before then too." I raised an eye brow

"a bully how?"

"He knocked her books out of her hand and…" She looked away from us suddenly, a really upset expression unfolding on her face.

"and what?"

"He called her the D word." I pinched the bridge of me nose in exasperation. Why couldn't people be more accepting at this school? I mean yeah, I'd been a jerk when Kurt first moved in, but I came to my senses and _saw _what a bigoted idiot I was being. Maybe I'd have to talk to Rick the way Burt talked to me…

"You!" Santana's voice rang through air from behind me, multiple curses sounded off from the glee members as I turned around to see the steaming Latina coming my way. "You lousy, bottom feeding, mouth breathing, knuckle dragging _moron!_" she threw a duffle bag that had been slung over her shoulder at me, nailing me square in the chest with force that surprised me. "Do you have _any _idea what you're fat ass mouth has done?" I looked at the duffle bag and then at the look on Santana's face, starting at the look I saw there, the emotion.

There was anger, hatred and pain.

Lots and lots of pain.

My heart dropped into my stomach.

"Santana, I—"

"You know what? You don't get to say my name anymore, You don't even get to _think _about saying my name anymore!"

"What's going on?" Mr. Shue asked, coming back from getting coffee with Shelby in the Teacher's lounge.

"That's what we're trying to figure out." Mercedes said from her seat with the Troubletones.

"What's going on is that Krispy Kreme here just screwed up my entire life with his big gob!"

"Santana! Lay off the insults!" Shue warned her as she fumed, hands clenched in fists by her sides.

Brittany put her hand on Santana's shoulder "Santana…what happened?" She asked softly, the brunette could only drop her head as Sue and Becky came in, dragging a suitcase each behind them. Everyone in the room got quiet; no one said a word or even seemed to breathe. She crossed her arms over her chest, features contorting in a look of pure shame and embarrassment. Everyone knew what had happened, even without anyone saying it out loud. That meeting Brittany said Sue called her in for, her parents must've been waiting for her. Waiting with their daughter's bags already packed.

I felt sick.

"Oh my god." Shelby gasped quietly as Brittany rubbed Santana's back.

"Santana…" I whispered, as a loss for words "I'm so—"

"No!" she blurted out suddenly, taking a threatening step towards me "You don't get to be sorry! My parents kicked me out of my _house! _I don't have a home anymore and it's all thanks you and your big, stupid mouth!" She was sobbing now, the tears pouring down her face as she took a swing at me. To my surprise, however, the hit was a loosely clenched fist to my chest, and, while it hurt, it wasn't out of anger at me nor did it wind me like I'd been expecting.

It was out of desperation and grief from having lost everything in one split second.

She hit me again with her other hand, this time her fist giving way when it contacted my chest. She didn't want to hurt me with her punches, she didn't want to hurt me at all. She just didn't know how to deal with this, with what happened. So, she took it out the only way she knew how. And I let her.

I let her get in several more hits before I did the only thing I could do in a situation like this.

With her still beating her hands against me, I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her.

She struggled for only a few more seconds before her arms relaxed and rested flat against my chest. We stayed like that for several moments before her arms wound around my mid-section. Her body shook with sobs, as I held her close to me, hushing her quietly in front of all the Glee Club members, whom she hadn't noticed apparently. In a weird way, it hurt to see her so destroyed when she was the one usually destroying everyone else. Seeing someone usually so strong suddenly so broken and fragile was something that had a weird affect on you, I guess. As this moment showed, it brought out the fatherly side in me. I didn't want Santana to hurt the way she was. Since day one I've only wanted to be friends, or at least on neutral grounds.

The others waited, letting Santana and I have a moment to reconcile with each other, moment we both really, really needed to have.

I mean, as big of an uber bitch as Santana is, no one could look at her in that moment and hate her.

Then, Brittany's arms wrapped around her and me, sandwiching her in between us, placing a small kiss on her cheek. Then, as if on cue, Kurt's arms wrapped around us from my left and Blaine from the right, everyone else joining in as we comforted one of our own in a massive group hug.

I ducked my head so that my lips were by her ear.

"I'm really sorry, Santana," I said softly, feeling her arms tighten around me in response. "I never meant for any of this to happen, I swear. Ok?" She nodded, not really having the ability to reply at that particular moment. I took a risk saying what I said next, but I knew it had to be said eventually. "And I forgive you for everything too." I didn't have to wait long for a response and, honestly, it kind of surprised me.

Her fingers clenched in my shirt, but she didn't try to fight me off.

We all stood there in one massive heap for what seemed like forever in the silence of the choir room, Santana's head tucked under my chin, her tears soaking into my shirt. I knew that this moment had been a silent treaty between us. Maybe not as friends, but not enemies. We could start over now. Forgive and forget.

So the huddle closed in tighter around her and I whispered one last thing

"We'll get you through this, Santana, all of us. Together."


End file.
